Autonomous control of vehicle cargo area doors

ABSTRACT

A cargo area door control system for a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door configured to be movable to enable physical access to the at least one cargo area, and movable to block physical access to the at least one cargo area. The control system includes one or more processors and a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors. The memory stores a cargo area door control module including instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to determine if the vehicle currently resides at a selected destination and, responsive to a determination that the vehicle currently resides at the selected destination, operate a cargo area door unlocking mechanism to unlock the at least one cargo area door.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to autonomous control of vehicles and,more particularly, to autonomous control of access to vehicle cargoareas.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles may be configured forself-driving without input from human operators in many drivingsituations. A vehicle user may wish to control various aspects ofvehicle operation in accordance with personal preferences. Morespecifically, the vehicle user may wish to exercise control over theconditions under which vehicle cargo area doors may autonomouslyoperate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the embodiments described herein, a vehicle cargo areadoor control system is provided. The vehicle includes at least one cargoarea and at least one cargo area door configured to be movable to enablephysical access to the at least one cargo area, and movable to blockphysical access to the at least one cargo area. The control systemincludes one or more processors and a memory communicably coupled to theone or more processors. The memory stores a cargo area door controlmodule including instructions that when executed by the one or moreprocessors cause the one or more processors to determine if the vehiclecurrently resides at a selected destination and, responsive to adetermination that the vehicle currently resides at the selecteddestination, operate a cargo area door unlocking mechanism to unlock theat least one cargo area door.

In another aspect of the embodiments described herein, acomputer-implemented method of operating at least one cargo area door ofa vehicle is provided. The at least one cargo area door is configured tobe movable to enable physical access to an associated cargo area of thevehicle, and also movable to block physical access to the associatedcargo area. The vehicle also includes an unlocking mechanism configuredto, responsive to one or more control commands, autonomously unlock theat least one cargo area door. The method includes steps of determiningif the vehicle currently resides at a selected destination and,responsive to a determination that the vehicle currently resides at theselected destination, operating the unlocking mechanism to unlock the atleast one cargo area door.

In another aspect of the embodiments described herein, a vehicle cargoarea door control system is provided for controlling autonomousoperation of at least one vehicle cargo area door. The system includesone or more processors and a memory communicably coupled to the one ormore processors and storing a cargo area door control module includinginstructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause theone or more processors to control at least one of unlocking, opening,closing, and locking of at least one vehicle cargo area door inaccordance with one or more pre-selected cargo area operation controlsettings. Each cargo area operation control setting is associated withat least one condition under which a cargo area door is to be unlocked,opened, closed, and/or locked.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments described herein andtogether with the description serve to explain principles of embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle incorporating a systemconfigured for autonomously controlling operation of one or more vehiclecargo area doors, which control physical access to one or moreassociated vehicle cargo areas usable for storing and/or transportingcargo.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective rear view of a particular embodimentof a vehicle configured as shown in FIG. 1, showing one example of acargo area in the form of a vehicle trunk and a cargo area door in theform of a trunk lid.

FIGS. 3A-3C in combination show a flow diagram illustrating theautonomous implementation of operations to control the unlocking andopening of a vehicle cargo area door after transportation of a vehicleoccupant and/or cargo to a selected destination.

FIGS. 4A-4C in combination show a flow diagram illustrating theautonomous implementation of operations to aid in preventing a vehicleoccupant from forgetting or leaving cargo in a vehicle cargo area afterthe occupant has exited the vehicle.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram illustrating the autonomous implementationof operations to determine if a cargo area door is currently either openor closed and unlocked, and to close and lock any open doors prior tomovement of the vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating the autonomousimplementation of operations in an example where a direct command from aremote entity is required to operate one or more cargo area doors in adesired manner (for example, to close the cargo area door(s)).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein relate to a cargo area door control systemfor a vehicle. The vehicle includes at least one cargo area and at leastone cargo area door configured to be movable to enable physical accessto the at least one cargo area, and movable to block physical access tothe at least one cargo area. The control system includes one or moreprocessors and a memory communicably coupled to the one or moreprocessors. The memory stores a cargo area door control module includinginstructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause theone or more processors to determine if the vehicle currently resides ata selected destination and, responsive to a determination that thevehicle currently resides at the selected destination, operate a cargoarea door unlocking mechanism to autonomously unlock the at least onecargo area door. Other cargo area door control operations (such asopening, closing, and/or locking the cargo area door) may also beautonomously performed responsive to the occurrence of variousconditions. A user may select various conditions under which cargo areadoors of cargo areas containing cargo may be autonomously unlocked,opened, closed, and/or locked. Alternatively, selection of theconditions under which cargo area doors of cargo areas containing cargomay be autonomously unlocked, opened, closed, and/or locked may beperformed by a computing system, or by a computing system in conjunctionwith a human user.

Under a particular cargo area operation control setting, one or morecargo area doors may be controlled by explicit commands from a remoteentity, such as a human or computing system at a remote facility orotherwise spaced apart from the vehicle. For example, a command signalto close and/or lock a cargo area door may be sent from the remoteentity to the vehicle via communications interface(s) located in thevehicle. In one operational mode, the communications interface(s) may beoperably coupled to actuator(s) configured to implement the commandsreceived at the communications interface(s). In another operationalmode, the command signal may be received by vehicle communicationsinterface(s) and relayed to a cargo area door control module, which thengenerates a door control command appropriate for execution by theactuators. In another operational mode, the command signal may bereceived by vehicle communications interface(s) and relayed to a cargoarea door control module, which then relays the received command signalto the actuators without further modification or manipulation of thereceived signal.

The patent application relating to Attorney Docket No. TRI-280-B (alsoentitled “AUTONOMOUS CONTROL OF VEHICLE CARGO AREA DOORS”) is beingfiled on the same day as this patent application.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle 11 incorporating avehicle cargo area door control system configured for autonomouslycontrolling operation of one or more vehicle cargo area doors. As usedherein, a “vehicle” is any form of motorized transport. In one or moreimplementations, the vehicle 11 is an automobile. While arrangementswill be described herein with respect to automobiles, it will beunderstood that embodiments are not limited to automobiles. In someimplementations, the vehicle 11 may be any robotic device or form ofmotorized transport that, for example, includes sensors to perceiveaspects of the surrounding environment, and thus benefits from thefunctionality discussed herein. The vehicle 11 may take the form of acar, truck, or any other vehicle incorporating one or more vehicle cargoareas usable for holding and transporting items of cargo.

The vehicle 11 may be configured for autonomous operation, and mayoperate in a fully or partially autonomous mode. In some instances, thevehicle 11 is configured to switch selectively between an autonomousmode, one or more semi-autonomous operational modes, and/or a manualmode. Such switching can be implemented in a suitable manner, now knownor later developed. “Manual mode” means that all of or a majority of thenavigation and/or maneuvering of the vehicle is performed according toinputs received from a vehicle occupant (e.g., a human driver). In oneor more arrangements, the vehicle 11 can be a conventional vehicle thatis configured to operate in a manual mode while including the capabilityof performing one or more of the cargo area door control functionsdescribed herein.

In one or more embodiments, the vehicle 11 is an autonomous vehicle. Asused herein, “autonomous vehicle” refers to a vehicle that operates inan autonomous mode. “Autonomous mode” refers to navigating and/ormaneuvering the vehicle 11 along a travel route using one or morecomputing systems to control the vehicle 11 with minimal or no inputfrom a human driver. In one or more embodiments, the vehicle 11 ishighly automated or completely automated. In one embodiment, the vehicle11 is configured with one or more semi-autonomous operational modes inwhich one or more computing systems perform a portion of the navigationand/or maneuvering of the vehicle along a travel route, and a vehicleoperator (e.g., a vehicle occupant or a remote operator) provides inputsto the vehicle to perform a portion of the navigation and/or maneuveringof the vehicle 11 along a travel route.

In one or more embodiments, the vehicle 11 is a remotely controlledvehicle. As used herein, a “remotely controlled vehicle” refers to avehicle that operates in a remote operational mode. “Remote operationalmode” refers to navigating and/or maneuvering the vehicle 11 along atravel route by an operator located remotely from the vehicle, forexample at a remote facility (such as remote facility 88 shown in FIG.1). For example, the remote operator may observe and control any or allaspects of vehicle operation from a remote terminal located at theremote facility or at another location. A “remote entity” may be anentity located exterior of and spaced apart from the vehicle.Non-exclusive examples of remote entities may include remote facility88, a remote human operator, and a remote computing system.

The vehicle 11 includes various elements. It will be understood that invarious embodiments it may not be necessary for the vehicle 11 to haveall of the elements shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle 11 can have anycombination of the various elements shown in FIG. 1. Further, thevehicle 11 can have additional elements to those shown in FIG. 1. Insome arrangements, the vehicle 11 may be implemented without one or moreof the elements shown in FIG. 1. While the various elements are shown asbeing located within the vehicle 11 in FIG. 1, it will be understoodthat one or more of these elements can be located external to thevehicle 11. Further, the elements shown may be physically separated bylarge distances.

Some of the possible elements of the vehicle 11 are shown in FIG. 1 andwill be described along with subsequent figures. Additionally, it willbe appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, whereappropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the differentfigures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition,the discussion outlines numerous specific details to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments described herein. Those of skill in theart, however, will understand that the embodiments described herein maybe practiced using various combinations of these elements.

The vehicle 11 can include one or more processor(s) 110. “Processor”means any component or group of components that are configured toexecute any of the processes and/or process steps described herein, orany form of instructions to carry out such processes/process steps orcause such processes/process steps to be performed. In one or morearrangements, the processor(s) 110 can be a main processor of thevehicle 11. For instance, the processor(s) 110 can be an electroniccontrol unit (ECU). The processor(s) may also form part of a computingsystem for the vehicle 11. Processor(s) 110 may execute instructionsstored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such asdata store(s) 115 or another memory communicably coupled to the one ormore processor(s) 110. The processor(s) 110 may be operatively connectedto the other vehicle systems and elements and otherwise configured so asto affect partial or fully autonomous control and operation of thevehicle 11 and its components as described herein. The processor(s) 110may control the functioning of the vehicle 11 based on inputs and/orinformation received from any of communication interfaces 16, sensorsystem 28, vehicle input system 130, and/or from any other suitablesource of information. The processor(s) 110 can include at least onehardware circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit) configured to carry outinstructions contained in program code. The processor(s) 110 may beimplemented with one or more general-purpose and/or one or morespecial-purpose processors. Examples of suitable processors includemicroprocessors, controllers, microcontrollers, DSP processors, andother circuitry that can execute software. In arrangements in whichthere is a plurality of processors 110, such processors can workindependently from each other or one or more processors can work incombination with each other.

The vehicle 11 can include one or more data store(s) 115 for storing oneor more types of data. The data store(s) 115 may comprise one or morecomputer-readable memories. A computer-readable memory may include anymedium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions), whichmay be read by a computer. The data store(s) 115 can include volatileand/or non-volatile memory. Examples of suitable data store(s) 115include RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read OnlyMemory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, opticaldisks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium, or anycombination thereof. The data store(s) 115 can be a component of theprocessor(s) 110, or the data store(s) 115 can be operatively connectedto the processor(s) 110 for use thereby. The term “operativelyconnected,” as used throughout this description, can include direct orindirect connections, including connections without direct physicalcontact.

The one or more data store(s) 115 can include sensor data 119. In thiscontext, “sensor data” means any information about any sensors that thevehicle 11 is equipped with, including the capabilities and otherinformation about such sensors. As will be explained below, the vehicle11 can include the sensor system 28. The sensor data 119 can relate toone or more sensors of the sensor system 28. As an example, in one ormore arrangements, the sensor data 119 can include information on one ormore LIDAR sensors 28 y of the sensor system 28. In some instances, atleast a portion of the sensor data 119 can be located in one or moredata store(s) 115 located onboard the vehicle 11. Alternatively, or inaddition, at least a portion of the sensor data 119 can be located inone or more data store(s) 115 that are located remotely from the vehicle11. Data store(s) 115 may store data such as roadway maps and pathinformation, among other information. Such information may be used bythe navigation system 23 in calculating and evaluating various routesthat may be autonomously driven by the vehicle 11.

The vehicle 11 can include one or more vehicle systems 40. Variousexamples of the one or more vehicle systems 40 are shown in FIG. 1.However, the vehicle 11 can include more, fewer, or different vehiclesystems. It should be appreciated that although particular vehiclesystems are separately defined, each or any of the systems or portionsthereof may be otherwise combined or segregated via hardware and/orsoftware within the vehicle 11. The vehicle 11 can include a propulsionsystem 41, a braking system 42, a steering system 43, throttle system44, a transmission system 45, a signaling system 46, and/or a navigationsystem 23. Each of these systems can include one or more devices,components, and/or a combination thereof, now known or later developed.

The vehicle 11 can include an input system 130. An “input system”includes any device, component, system, element or arrangement or groupsthereof that enable information/data to be communicated to a machine.The input system 130 can receive input from a human operator in thevehicle (e.g., a driver, passenger) or from a human operator (e.g., avehicle scheduler) or computing system (located, for example, at aremote facility 88) configured for exercising at least partial controlof the vehicle 11.

The vehicle 11 can include an output system 135. An “output system”includes any device, component, or arrangement or groups thereof thatenable information/data to be presented to a human operator (whileeither inside or outside the vehicle 11) or conveyed to a human operatoror a computing system at a remote facility (such as remote facility 88).

For example, input/output systems 130/135 may include a human-machineinterface (“HMI”) (not shown) including elements located in the occupantcompartment and hard-wired to the vehicle processor(s) and/or othervehicle systems. The HMI may include elements such as a display, keypad,microphones and speakers for voice-recognition and user communicationwith the vehicle 11. The input/output systems 130/135 may also (oralternatively) include hardware and software elements enablingcommunications between vehicle 11 and a user using a cellular phone orother personal communications device 113. The input/output systems130/135 may be in any form and incorporate any elements and/or systemsdirected to facilitating communications between the vehicle 11 and auser and/or a remote facility 88 which controls one or more operationsof the vehicle.

The vehicle 11 can include one or more actuator(s) 150. The actuator(s)150 can be any element, combination of elements, or mechanisms operableto modify, adjust and/or alter one or more of the vehicle systems 40 orcomponents thereof to responsive to receiving signals or other inputsfrom the processor(s) 110, the autonomous driving module(s) 160, and/orthe cargo area door control module 71 (all described in greater detailbelow). Any suitable actuator(s) can be used. For instance, the one ormore actuator(s) 150 can include motors, pneumatic actuators, hydraulicpistons, relays, solenoids, and/or piezoelectric actuators, just to namea few possibilities. Some examples of specific actuators which may beincorporated into and/or controlled by an embodiment of the cargo areadoor control system will be described below. However, additionalactuators may also be employed in the vehicle for purposes other thanthose described. Some examples of specific actuators which may beincorporated into and/or controlled by an embodiment of the cargo areadoor control system include cargo area door unlocking mechanism(s) 87,cargo area door opening mechanism(s) 81, cargo area door closingmechanism(s) 83, cargo area door locking mechanism(s) 85, lockingdisablement mechanism(s) 91, and closing disablement mechanism(s) 93 asdescribed in greater detail below.

In one or more particular arrangements, one or more of actuators 150 maybe configured to operate on elements of the vehicle responsive tocommands received directly from a remote entity (i.e., a source exteriorof and spaced apart from the vehicle) via a communications interface(such as communications interfaces 16) operably coupled to the one ormore actuators. For example, one or more of cargo area door unlockingmechanisms 87 may be configured to operate to unlock one or moreassociated cargo area doors responsive to a command received by thecargo area door unlocking mechanism(s) directly from the remote entityto unlock the cargo area doors. One or more of cargo area door openingmechanisms 81 may be configured to operate to open one or moreassociated cargo area doors responsive to a command received by thecargo area door opening mechanism(s) directly from the remote entity toopen the cargo area doors. One or more of cargo area door closingmechanisms 83 may be configured to operate to close one or moreassociated cargo area doors responsive to a command received by thecargo area door closing mechanism(s) directly from the remote entity toclose the cargo area doors. One or more of cargo area door lockingmechanisms 85 may be configured to operate to lock one or moreassociated cargo area doors responsive to a command received by thecargo area door locking mechanism(s) directly from the remote entity tolock the cargo area doors. Thus, for example, in actuators configured tooperate on cargo area door-related actuators responsive to commands sentfrom a remote entity directly to the actuator(s) via the communicationsinterfaces 16, the command from the remote entity need not necessarilybe routed through the cargo area door control module 71.

In one or more arrangements, the communications interface(s) throughwhich the cargo area door operating command(s) may be received areseparate from the one or more actuators. In other arrangements,communications interface(s) through which the cargo area door operatingcommand(s) may be received are incorporated into the actuator(s)themselves (for example, to minimize time delay and/or to help minimizerisk of possible signal corruption and/or interruption.

A vehicle cargo area may be any enclosure or volume of space in whichcargo (such as luggage, packages and/or other items) may be positionedin the vehicle for travel, and which may be securable to prevent accessto contents therein without permission or authorization. For example, anowner of cargo, a person responsible for transporting the cargo, or anoperator or owner of the vehicle may have authorization to access thecargo when it is stowed in a cargo area. Non-exclusive examples ofvehicle cargo areas may include a vehicle trunk, a rear area of a sportutility vehicle (SUV) hatchback, and a lockable compartment locatedwithin a vehicle occupant compartment.

A cargo area door may be any door, panel, or other structure which ismovable and/or securable to enable or prevent physical access to avehicle cargo area. Non-exclusive examples of cargo area doors mayinclude a vehicle trunk door, a hatchback door on a sport utilityvehicle, a tonneau cover mounted on a pickup truck, and a tailgate on apickup truck.

In one or more arrangements, each cargo area door may be provided withan associated cargo area door unlocking mechanism (generally designated87) configured to unlock the cargo area door responsive to command(s)from the cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area door may beconsidered to be “unlocked” when a locking mechanism configured to lockthe door is in a condition in which the locking mechanism does notprevent the door from being opened. A locking mechanism may beconsidered to be “unlocked” when the mechanism is in a condition inwhich it would not prevent a cargo area door associated with themechanism from being opened. The type and configuration of the unlockingmechanism 87 used may depend on such factors as the locking mechanismdesign associated with the cargo area door, and other pertinent factors.In one or more arrangements, the unlocking function may be implementedby the same mechanism which performs the locking function. In otherarrangements, the unlocking function may be performed by an unlockingmechanism which is different from the locking mechanism, or whichincludes elements different from (as well as elements common to) thoseincluded in the locking mechanism. Any cargo area door unlockingmechanism 87 may incorporate any elements and/or mechanism(s) suitablefor unlocking an associated cargo area door, and for enabling operationof the unlocking mechanism 87 by the cargo area door control module 71as described herein.

In one or more arrangements, each cargo area door may be provided withan associated cargo area door opening mechanism (generally designated81) configured to open the cargo area door responsive to commands fromthe cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area or a cargo area doorfor the cargo area may be considered to be “open” the cargo area door ispositioned or oriented so as to allow physical access to the cargo area,thereby enabling cargo to be deposited in the cargo area or removed fromthe cargo area, or when the cargo area door is not in a position so asto be lockable by an associated door locking mechanism.

The type and configuration of the cargo area door opening mechanism 81used may depend on such factors as the space available for the cargoarea door opening mechanism and other pertinent factors. In one or morearrangements, the cargo area door opening function may be implemented bythe same mechanism which performs the door closing function. In otherarrangements, the door opening function may be performed by an openingmechanism which is different from the closing mechanism, or whichincludes elements different from (as well as elements common to) thoseincluded in the closing mechanism. Any cargo area door opening mechanism81 may incorporate any elements and/or mechanism(s) suitable for openingan associated cargo area door, and for enabling operation of the cargoarea door opening mechanism by the vehicle cargo area door controlmodule 71 as described herein.

In one or more arrangements, each cargo area door may be provided withan associated cargo area door closing mechanism (generally designated83) configured to close the cargo area door responsive to commands fromthe cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area or a cargo area doorfor the cargo area may be considered to be “closed” when the cargo areadoor is positioned or oriented so as to enable a locking mechanismassociated with the cargo area door to be engaged to lock the cargo areadoor.

The type and configuration of the closing mechanism 83 used may dependon such factors as the space available for the closing mechanism andother pertinent factors. In one example, the cargo area door closingmechanism 83 may be in the form of one or more hydraulic or pneumaticcylinders configured to be actuatable by computer control commands. Inanother example, the closing mechanism 83 may be a gear train or othermotion transfer mechanism which is operatively coupled to a motor and toan associated cargo area door. Any cargo area door closing mechanism 83may incorporate any elements and/or mechanism(s) suitable for closing anassociated cargo area door, and for enabling operation of the closingmechanism 83 by the vehicle cargo area door control module 71 asdescribed herein.

In one or more arrangements, each cargo area door may be provided withan associated cargo area door locking mechanism (generally designated85) configured to lock the cargo area door responsive to commands fromthe cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area door may beconsidered to be “locked” when a locking mechanism configured to lockthe door is in a condition in which the mechanism prevents the door frombeing opened. A locking mechanism 85 may be considered to be “locked”when the mechanism is in a condition in which it would prevent a cargoarea door associated with the mechanism from being opened. The type andconfiguration of the locking mechanism 85 used may depend on suchfactors as the cargo area door design, the location of the door, andother pertinent factors. For example, for the trunk of a vehicle, thecargo area door locking mechanism may be similar to any of a variety ofexisting automatic trunk locks. Any cargo area door locking mechanism 85may incorporate any elements and/or mechanism(s) suitable for locking anassociated cargo area door, and for enabling operation of the lockingmechanism 85 by the vehicle cargo area door control module 71 asdescribed herein.

In one or more arrangements, a locking disablement mechanism (generallydesignated 91) may be configured to implement a cargo area door lockingdisablement function responsive to a command from cargo area doorcontrol module 71. In particular arrangements, a locking disablementmechanism may be operatively coupled to a door locking mechanism orincorporated into a door locking mechanism. The locking disablementmechanism may be actuated separately from an unlocking mechanismassociated with the cargo area door. The locking disablement functionand locking disablement mechanism may be configured to enable thelocking mechanism to be disabled to unlock the cargo area door if theunlocking mechanism fails to unlock the door responsive to an “unlock”control command from the cargo area door control module 71. This helpsensure that the cargo area door may be unlocked for access to the cargoeven if the unlocking mechanism fails to unlock the cargo area door oncommand. One example of a locking disablement mechanism may be in theform of an electromagnet which is operable by the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 to magnetically retract a latch of a locking mechanism85 holding a cargo area door in a locked condition. Retraction of thelatch may unlock the door, enabling the door to be opened.

A mechanism described herein as being disabled need not be damaged orpermanently disabled. “Disable” for the purposes described herein mayrefer to deactivation of the normal function performed by the mechanismso that the cargo area door may be manipulated manually or by asecondary control (for example, a manual release lever for a trunkdoor).

In one or more arrangements, a locking disablement mechanism 91 may becombined with an unlocking mechanism 87 and a locking mechanism 85 intoa single mechanism capable of performing all of these functions.Alternatively, the disablement mechanism 91 may be separate from (andseparately actuatable from) the locking and/or unlocking mechanisms. Anycargo area door locking disablement mechanism 91 may incorporate anyelements and/or mechanism(s) suitable for disabling a locking mechanismof an associated cargo area door, and for facilitating operation of thelocking disablement mechanism by the cargo area door control module 71as described herein.

In one or more arrangements, a closing disablement mechanism (generallydesignated 93) may be configured to implement a cargo area door closingdisablement function responsive to a command from cargo area doorcontrol module 71. In particular arrangements, a dedicated closingdisablement mechanism 93 may be operatively coupled to a door closingmechanism 83 or incorporated into the door closing mechanism. Theclosing disablement mechanism 93 may be actuatable separately from adoor closing mechanism 83 and/or a door opening mechanism 81 associatedwith the cargo area door. The closing disablement function and closingdisablement mechanism 93 may be configured to enable the door closingmechanism 83 to be disabled, so that the cargo area door can be openedif the door opening mechanism 81 fails to open the door responsive to an“open” command. This helps ensure that the cargo area door may be openedfor access to the cargo even if the door opening mechanism fails to openthe cargo area door on command.

In one example of a closing disablement mechanism 93, in anopening/closing mechanism which operates computer system-controlledhydraulic cylinders to open and close the cargo area door, the closingdisablement mechanism 93 may include one or more valves configured todepressurize a portion of the hydraulic system so that the cargo areadoor may be freely opened and closed by a human user with littleresistance. Any cargo area door closing disablement mechanism mayincorporate any elements and/or mechanism(s) suitable for disabling aclosing mechanism of an associated cargo area door, and for facilitatingoperation of the closing disablement mechanism by the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 as described herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective rear view of one example of thevehicle 11 showing a cargo area in the form of a vehicle trunk 99 and acargo area door 98 in the form of a trunk lid. The vehicle 11 isprovided with cargo area door opening and closing mechanisms 81/83 aspreviously described, in the form of one or more hydraulic cylinderswhich are operable to perform both the door opening and closingfunctions. The door opening mechanism 81 may include hydraulic systemelements which are used only in performance of the door openingfunction, and the door closing mechanism 83 may include hydraulic systemelements which are used only in performance of the door closingfunction. Each of mechanisms 81 and 83 may also include elements commonto the other one of mechanisms 81 and 83. Alternatively, mechanisms 81and 83 may use all the same hydraulic system elements.

The vehicle 11 of FIG. 2 is also provided with locking and unlockingmechanisms 85/87 as previously described operable to lock and unlock thecargo area door when the door is in a closed configuration. The doorlocking mechanism 85 may include elements which are used only inperformance of the door locking function, and the door unlockingmechanism 87 may include elements which are used only in performance ofthe door unlocking function. Each of mechanisms 85 and 87 may alsoinclude elements common to the other one of mechanisms 85 and 87.Alternatively, mechanisms 85 and 87 may use all the same elements.

The vehicle 11 may also be also provided with a locking disablementmechanism 91 as previously described, which is designed to disable thelocking mechanism if the cargo area door fails to unlock on command. Thelocking disablement mechanism 91 may include elements which are usedonly in performance of the locking disablement function. The lockingdisablement mechanism 91 may also include elements common to one or moreof the locking mechanism 85 and the unlocking mechanism 87.

The vehicle 11 can include one or more modules, at least some of whichare described herein. The modules can be implemented ascomputer-readable program code that, when executed by processor(s) 110,implement one or more of the various control commands and/or processesdescribed herein. One or more of the modules can be a component of theprocessor(s) 110, or one or more of the modules can be executed onand/or distributed among other processing systems to which theprocessor(s) 110 is operatively connected. The modules can includeinstructions (e.g., program logic) executable by one or moreprocessor(s) 110. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more of datastore(s) 115 may contain such instructions. A module may also beimplemented as a combination of one or more processors configured forcontrolling operation or one or more vehicle components or systems, anda memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors for storingdata and program instructions executable by the one or more processors.Execution of the instructions by the one or more processors may controloperations of various aspects of the vehicle, including operation of thecargo area doors as described herein.

In one or more arrangements, one or more of the modules described hereincan include artificial or computational intelligence elements, e.g.,neural network, fuzzy logic or other machine learning algorithms.Further, in one or more arrangements, one or more of the modules can bedistributed among a plurality of the modules described herein. In one ormore arrangements, two or more of the modules described herein can becombined into a single module.

Although specific modules will be described herein, it is understoodthat additional controls, systems and/or modules may be included ifneeded to perform the functions described herein, depending on thedesign of a particular vehicle. Vehicle embodiments described herein areassumed to include sufficient systems and/or elements to autonomouslyexecute all of the commands needed to perform the various cargo areadoor control operations described herein.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the vehicle 11 can include one or moreautonomous driving modules 160. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 canbe configured to receive data from the sensor system 28 and/or any othertype of system capable of capturing information relating to the vehicle11 and/or the external environment of the vehicle 11. The vehicle 11 maybe configured for completely autonomous driving operations (i.e., forself-driving, without the presence of a driver or driver input) from astart location to a given destination under control of the autonomousdriving module(s) 160.

The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine position and velocityof the vehicle 11. Using information from sensor system 28 and/or otherinformation, the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine thelocation of obstacles, obstacles, or other environmental featuresincluding traffic signs, trees, shrubs, neighboring vehicles,pedestrians, etc.

The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to receive,and/or determine location information for obstacles within the externalenvironment of the vehicle 11 for use by the processor(s) 110, and/orone or more of the modules described herein to estimate position andorientation of the vehicle 11, vehicle position in global coordinatesbased on signals from a plurality of satellites, or any other dataand/or signals that could be used to determine the current state of thevehicle 11 or determine the position of the vehicle 11 with respect toits environment for use in either creating a map or determining theposition of the vehicle 11 in respect to map data.

The cargo area door control module 71 may be configured to controlaspects of cargo area door operations in accordance with preferencespre-selected by a user and/or a computing system, and also in accordancewith pre-programmed default procedures not necessarily defined orselected by a user and/or computing system. In one or more arrangements,all of the cargo area door-related control functions described herein asbeing performed by the cargo area door control module 71 may beperformed by the cargo area door control module 71 acting in combinationwith other elements of vehicle 11, where necessary.

Aspects of cargo area door operations which may be controlled by thecargo area door control module 71 include door opening, door closing,door locking, door unlocking, and disablement of door closing andlocking functions. Other cargo area door operations may also becontrolled and performed by the cargo area door control module 71. Thecargo area door control module 71 may be implemented in the form ofhardware, software, or any suitable combination of hardware andsoftware.

The cargo area door control module 71 may optionally be configured tocontrol operation of one or more of the other vehicle systems so as toprevent motion of the vehicle when a cargo area door is open and/orunlocked. This control of vehicle motion may be responsive to, forexample, information provided by cargo area door-related sensorsindicating that one or more cargo area doors are open and/or unlocked,and responsive to a command or instruction which would cause the vehicleto start moving with the cargo area door(s) is open and/or unlocked.

In one or more arrangements, the cargo area door control module 71 maybe configured to provide a cargo area door autonomous command interruptfunction enabling a user and/or computing system to interrupt ordiscontinue a previously selected cargo area door control function.Selection of the interrupt by a user and/or computing system may disableautonomous operation of the selected control function until it (oranother autonomous control function) is selected by the user and/or acomputing system. For example, a user may de-select a previouslyselected autonomous operation directed to unlocking a cargo area doorwhen an occupant exits the vehicle. As used herein, the terms “occupant”and “vehicle occupant” may refer to either a person who is currentlyinside the vehicle occupant compartment, or a person who was inside theoccupant compartment but has exited the occupant compartment afterarriving at a selected destination. Then the cargo area door controlmodule 71 would cease autonomously controlling the cargo area door inaccordance with the de-selected autonomous control operation until this(or another) control mode was selected by a user or other entity (suchas a remote computing system or remotely-located human operator).Deactivation or de-selection of one control mode in the manner describedmay not affect other active autonomous control modes.

In one or more arrangements, the cargo area door control module 71 mayalso be configured to generate one or more alert message(s) indicatingthat a cargo area door is open, despite the fact that a control commanddirected to closing the cargo area door was generated. The cargo areadoor control module 71 may also be configured to generate one or morealert message(s) indicating that a cargo area door is closed, despitethe fact that a control command directed to opening the cargo area doorwas generated. The cargo area door control module 71 may also beconfigured to generate one or more alert message(s) indicating that acargo area door is locked, despite the fact that a control commanddirected to unlocking the cargo area door was generated. The cargo areadoor control module 71 may also be configured to generate one or morealert message(s) indicating that a cargo area door is unlocked, despitethe fact that a control command directed to locking the cargo area doorwas generated. Any alert message(s) described herein may be transmittedto any receiving entity (for example, to a user, to a computing device,or to another receiving entity (such as a computing system or humanoperator at a remote facility)) using any suitable method (for example,via the vehicle communication interfaces 16, a vehicle HMI, a cellulardevice of a vehicle occupant, a remote vehicle operations or remotefacility 88, or by any other suitable method).

In one or more arrangements, one or more of processor(s) 110 and/orcargo area door control module 71 may be configured to executeinstructions to perform diagnostic procedures directed to determiningwhy a cargo area door control command was not performed. For example, ifa cargo area door fails to unlock, open, close, and/or lock responsiveto a cargo area door control module control command, the processor(s)110 and/or cargo area door control module 71 may perform diagnosticroutines directed to determining why the instruction was not executed.The processor(s) 110 and/or cargo area door control module 71 may useany of the vehicle sensors to gather information pertinent to theperformance of the diagnostic. The sensors used may be sensors usablefor other purposes on the vehicle, or the sensors may be sensorsdedicated to aiding in performance of the diagnostics.

A cargo area door control command may fail because a pertinent controlelement is physically incapable of performing the command, or for otherreasons (for example, safety). In one example, a command to open a trunkdoor may fail because a heavy object is resting on top of the trunk lid,thereby preventing the door opening mechanism from opening the door. Inanother example, a sensor configured to detect objects behind thevehicle may be configured to detect the presence of a person in closeproximity to the trunk door, in which case the trunk door may beprevented from opening due to the possibility of the door contacting theperson during opening. Multi-purpose and/or dedicated diagnostic sensors28 e such as cameras, weight sensors, proximity sensors, and any othersuitable types of sensors may be incorporated into the vehicle 11 andused for diagnostic purposes. Sensors used for other purposes in thevehicle may also be used for diagnostic purposes.

As described herein, the processor(s) 110 and/or the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may be configured to enable user, computer and/orremote selection of one or more cargo area doors (for example, trunk,occupant compartment storage, etc.) that will be autonomouslycontrolled, the control commands or operations (for example, open,close, lock, unlock) which will be performed on the door, and theconditions (for example, when an occupant exits the vehicle) under whichany given control operation will be performed. The computing systemselecting the one or more doors and an associated cargo area doorcontrol mode may be onboard the vehicle or the computing system may belocated remotely from the vehicle (such as in a mobile/cellular device113 of a user, or at a remote facility such as remote facility 88 (FIG.1)).

The vehicle 11 can include the sensor system 28. “Sensor” means anydevice, component and/or system that can detect, and/or sense something.The one or more sensors can be configured to detect, and/or sense inreal-time. As used herein, the term “real-time” means a level ofprocessing responsiveness that a user or computing system senses assufficiently immediate for a particular process or determination to bemade, or that enables the processor to keep up with some externalprocess.

In arrangements in which the sensor system 28 includes a plurality ofsensors, the sensors can work independently from each other.Alternatively, two or more of the sensors can work in combination witheach other. In such case, the two or more sensors can form a sensornetwork. The sensor system 28 and/or the one or more sensors can beoperatively connected to the processor(s) 110, the data store(s) 115,and/or another element of the vehicle 11 (including any of the elementsshown in FIG. 1). The sensor system 28 can acquire data of at least aportion of the external environment of the vehicle 11 (e.g., nearbyvehicles).

Sensors of the sensor system 28 can be operatively connected to theprocessor(s) 110 or any other element of the vehicle 11. In a knownmanner, the vehicle sensors may provide data usable by the vehiclecontrol systems (such as the autonomous driving module 160 and the cargoarea door control module 71) in formulating and executing suitablecontrol commands to the various vehicle systems. For example, data frominertial sensors, wheel speed sensors, road condition sensors, andsteering angle sensors may be processed by the autonomous driving module160 in formulating and executing a command in steering system 43 to turnthe vehicle.

The sensor system 28 can include any suitable type of sensor. Variousexamples of different types of sensors will be described herein.However, it will be understood that the embodiments are not limited tothe particular sensors described.

The sensor system 28 can include one or more sensors designed to monitorvarious vehicle operational status parameters and environmentalconditions external to the vehicle. For example, the sensor system 28can include one or more configured to acquire, and/or sense drivingenvironment data. “Driving environment data” includes data orinformation about the external environment which an autonomous vehicleis located or one or more portions thereof. For example, the one or moreof sensors 28 can be configured to detect, quantify and/or senseobstacles in at least a portion of the external environment of thevehicle 11 and/or information/data about such obstacles. Such obstaclesmay be stationary objects and/or dynamic objects. One or more of sensors28 can be configured to detect, measure, quantify and/or sense otherthings in the external environment of the vehicle 11, such as, forexample, lane markers, signs, traffic lights, traffic signs, lane lines,crosswalks, curbs proximate the vehicle 11, off-road objects, othervehicles, traffic levels, road conditions, traffic, animals, cyclists,pedestrians, etc., either moving or stationary, which are within acertain distance of vehicle 11. Sensors 28 may detect and storeinformation relating to external driving conditions, externaltemperature, rain, snow, light levels, and sun position for drivervisibility.

As an example, in one or more arrangements, the sensor system 28 caninclude RADAR sensors 28 z, proximity sensors 28 p, laserrangefinder/LIDAR sensors 28 y, and other sensors 28 m for variouspurposes. One or more vehicle cameras (generally designated 28 x) mayinclude devices configured to capture a plurality of images of theinterior of the vehicle and/or an external environment of the vehicle11, and may be usable to determine the route, lane position, and othervehicle position/location data. The camera(s) may be still cameras orvideo cameras. In one or more arrangements, the one or more cameras 28 xcan be high dynamic range (HDR) cameras or infrared (IR) cameras.

The sensor system 28 can include one or more vehicle sensors configuredto detect, determine, and/or sense information about the vehicle 11itself. In one or more arrangements, the vehicle sensor(s) can beconfigured to detect, and/or sense position and orientation changes ofthe vehicle 11, such as, for example, based on inertial acceleration. Inone or more arrangements, the vehicle sensor(s) can include one or moreaccelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, an inertial measurement unit(IMU) 28 w, a dead-reckoning system, a global navigation satellitesystem (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), navigation system 23,and/or other suitable sensors. The vehicle sensor(s) can be configuredto detect, and/or sense one or more characteristics of the vehicle 11.In one or more arrangements, the vehicle sensor(s) can include aspeedometer to determine a current speed of the vehicle 11. In anotherexample, the IMU 28 w may incorporate any combination of sensors (e.g.,accelerometers and gyroscopes) configured to sense position andorientation changes of the vehicle 11 based on inertial acceleration.The IMU 28 w may sense such parameters as vehicle roll rate, yaw rate,pitch rate, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, andvertical acceleration.

Any data collected by vehicle sensors 28 may also be transmitted to anyvehicle system or component requiring or utilizing the data for thepurposes described herein. The data collected by vehicle sensors 28 maybe stored and/or analyzed within the vehicle and/or may be transmittedto one or more external devices. For example, the sensor data may betransmitted via telematics devices to one or more remote computingsystems, such as a mobile device 113 or remote facility 88 as describedherein.

Sensor system 28 may also include one or more occupant compartment doorsensors (generally designated 28 a). A vehicle occupant compartment maybe any compartment or volume of space within the vehicle in whichvehicle occupants may travel during normal operation of the vehicle. Theoccupant compartment may include a driver space and one or morepassenger spaces in front, back and/or any intermediate seats. Theoccupant compartment may include openings through which vehicleoccupants may enter or exit the vehicle in a known manner. Each occupantcompartment opening may have a door associated therewith, to enable theoccupant compartment to be opened or closed in a conventional manner.

In one or more arrangements, an occupant compartment door sensor 28 amay be positioned in operative association with each occupantcompartment doorway through which a vehicle occupant may pass inentering or exiting the vehicle 11. The occupant compartment doorsensor(s) 28 a may be configured to generate a “door open” signal to thecargo area door control module 71 as soon as any of the occupantcompartment doors are opened. In particular arrangements, the occupantcompartment door sensor(s) 28 a may be configured to generate a “dooropen” signal to the cargo area door control module 71 as soon as any ofthe occupant compartment doors are opened by at least a predeterminedamount (for example, an amount sufficient to allow a vehicle occupant topass through the door opening to the vehicle exterior). This signal maybe discontinued when the door is closed. In this manner, an “open” or“closed” status of each door of the occupant compartment may becontinuously monitored. Any suitable type of sensor may be used forthese purposes, for example, conventional contact sensors.

Sensor system 28 may include one or more vehicle occupant sensors(generally designated 28 b). Each vehicle occupant sensor 28 b may beconfigured to generate a signal to the cargo area door control module 71when a vehicle occupant exits the vehicle through a vehicle occupantcompartment doorway. In one or more arrangements, vehicle occupantsensor(s) 28 b may also be configured to detect the number of occupantsin the vehicle and/or various characteristics of any vehicle occupants,such as size, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used forthese purposes, for example, conventional proximity sensors or LIDARsensors. Occupant sensor(s) 28 b may also be configured to detect andtrack the movements of occupants who have left the vehicle, includingthe positions of these persons relative to the vehicle, the distances ofthese persons from the vehicle, and various other parameters relating tosuch persons. Alternatively, additional or other sensors may beconfigured to detect and track the movements of occupants who have leftthe vehicle, including the positions of these persons relative to thevehicle, the distances of these persons from the vehicle, and variousother parameters relating to such persons.

Sensor system 28 may include locking mechanism sensors (generallydesignated 28 c). Each locking mechanism sensor 28 c may be configuredto detect when an associated locking mechanism of an associated cargoarea door actuates (i.e., enters one of a locked or unlocked condition),and also statuses (locked or unlocked) of any locking mechanism(s). Anysuitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example,conventional contact sensors.

Sensor system 28 may include cargo area door sensors (generallydesignated 28 d) configured to detect when a cargo area door opens andcloses, and also statuses (open or closed) of the cargo area doors. Anysuitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example,conventional contact sensors.

Cargo sensors (generally designated 28 f) may be configured to detectthe presence and absence of cargo in any of the vehicle cargo areas. Forexample, sensors such as cameras, proximity sensors, LIDAR sensors,weight sensors and/or other types of sensors may be mounted in thevehicle trunk and configured to detect the presence and absence of cargoin the trunk, and also various characteristics of the cargo (such asweight, volume, location within the trunk, etc.) in the trunk. Anysuitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes.

Diagnostic sensors (generally designated 28 e) of various types may beincorporated into the vehicle for diagnostic purposes as describedherein. Also, existing sensors may be purposed for multiple tasks, oneor more of which may include aiding the implementation of diagnosticprocedures. For example, a field of view of a vehicle camera mayencompass (or may be adjusted to encompass) a top surface of a vehicletrunk door. This may enable detection of an object positioned on top ofthe trunk door, which may prevent the trunk door from being openedresponsive to a control command. Any suitable type of sensor may be usedfor diagnostic purposes.

The navigation system 23 can include one or more devices, applications,and/or combinations thereof, now known or later developed, configured todetermine the geographic location of the vehicle 11 and/or to determinea travel route for the vehicle 11, for example, using vehicle occupantdestination inputs in a known manner. The navigation system 23 caninclude one or more mapping applications to determine a travel route forthe vehicle 11. The navigation system 23 can include a globalpositioning system, a local positioning system or a geolocation system.Vehicle navigation system 23 may include or be in operativecommunication with any sensor or sensors configured to estimate thegeographic location of the vehicle 11.

Vehicle navigation system 23 may also be configured to operativelycommunicate with processor(s) 110, cargo area door control module 71,and/or autonomous driving module 160 to provide vehicle navigationalinformation for the purposes described herein. In one or morearrangements, the vehicle navigation system 23 may be configured todetermine when the vehicle 11 has arrived at a selected destination. Forexample, the navigation system 23 may (in a known manner) continuouslymonitor current GPS or other geographical coordinates of the vehicle 11as the vehicle moves. These coordinates may be continuously compared toGPS or other geographical coordinates associated with the selecteddestination to determine if the two sets of coordinates coincide.Alternatively, the processor(s) 110 and/or cargo area door controlmodule 71 may be configured to determine (in conjunction with and/orusing information received from the navigation system 23) when thevehicle 10 has arrived at a selected destination.

Operation of one or more of the vehicle cargo area doors may becontrollable, at least in part, responsive to a determination that thevehicle has arrived at a selected destination. A selected destinationmay be a destination of an occupant of the vehicle, or a destination ofcargo being transported by the vehicle. For example, the selecteddestination may be the parking lot of a company or a hotel. The selecteddestination may be provided to the vehicle navigation system in any of anumber of ways. For example, the selected destination may be enteredinto the navigation system by a vehicle occupant desiring to travel tothe destination. An occupant may be an operator of the vehicle (i.e., aperson enabled to control one or more aspects of vehicle operation) or apassenger of the vehicle (i.e., a person simply being transported by thevehicle). Alternatively, the selected destination may be entered by ahuman operator, computing system or other entity located at a siteremote from the vehicle (for example, a prospective vehicle occupant ora human controller located at a remote facility).

A selected destination may be may be entered into the navigation systemat any time before or after the vehicle begins, from a stationarycondition, a movement or series of movements which will culminate in thevehicle arriving at the selected destination. For example, the selecteddestination may be provided before or after cargo is loaded into avehicle cargo area, while the vehicle is stationary. In another example,the selected destination may be provided after all cargo area doors areclosed and locked and the vehicle has started to move. The selecteddestination may also change during travel of the vehicle. The current ormost recently provided selected destination may be stored in a suitablelocation buffer in the data store(s) 115, in the navigation system 23,or in another location for continuous comparison with the vehicle'scurrent position.

Vehicle communication interfaces 16 may be configured to establish andenable continued and uninterrupted interaction between the vehicle 11and external sensors, other vehicles, other computer systems, variousexternal computing and communications systems and networks (such ascommunications network 101, a satellite system, a cellularphone/wireless communication system), remote entities, and off-vehiclefacilities incorporating one or more of the capabilities describedherein, and useable for performing one or more of the functionsdescribed herein.

Vehicle processor(s) 110 and modules (such as the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 and other modules) may operate (via vehiclecommunication interfaces 16) in a networked environment supportingconnections to one or more remote computers, such as other computingsystems, terminals and/or mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones,short-range vehicle communication systems, vehicle telematics devicesand vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems) (not shown). Any othercomputing systems or devices in the vehicle and any related terminals ordevices in operative communication with vehicle processor(s) 110 and/orany vehicle modules may include devices installed in vehicles, mobiledevices that may travel within vehicles, or devices outside of vehiclesthat are configured to receive and process vehicle and driving data.Thus, any terminals or devices in communication with the vehicle 11 mayeach include personal computers (e.g., laptop, desktop, or tabletcomputers), servers (e.g., web servers, database servers, etc.), andother terminals or devices.

The communication interfaces 16 may include interfaces enablingcommunication in a wide area network (WAN), a wirelesstelecommunications network, and/or any other suitable communicationsnetworks (such as or including communications network 101, for example).Suitable communication network(s) can include wired communication linksand/or wireless communication links. The communication network(s) caninclude any combination of the above networks and/or other types ofnetworks. The communication network(s) can include one or more routers,switches, access points, wireless access points, and/or the like. In oneor more arrangements, the communication network(s) can includeVehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies (includingVehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V)technologies), which can allow for communications between any nearbyvehicle(s), and between the vehicle 11 and any nearby roadsidecommunications nodes and/or infrastructure.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the vehicle processor(s) 110and/or any vehicle modules may include (or be operatively connected to)a modem or other means for establishing communications over the WAN,such as network (e.g., the Internet). When used in a wirelesstelecommunications network, the vehicle processor(s) 110 and/or vehiclemodules may include (or be operatively connected to) one or moretransceivers, digital signal processors, and additional circuitry andsoftware for communicating with wireless computing systems (not shown)via one or more network devices (e.g., base transceiver stations) in thewireless network. These configurations provide various ways of receivinga constant flow of information from (and transmitting a constant flow ofinformation to) various external sources. The communication interfaces16 may be incorporated into the vehicle processor(s) 110 and/or vehiclemodules or may be located spaced apart from the vehicle processor(s) 110and/or vehicle modules and communicatively coupled to the vehicleprocessor(s) 110 and/or vehicle modules.

In one or more arrangements, the communication interfaces 16 may beconfigured to enable and/or facilitate communications between thevehicle 11, one or more remotely located users (for example, viacellular or other communications modes), and remote facilities (such asfacility 88) and operators and other entities exterior of the vehicle,via communications network 101. The communication interfaces 16 may beconfigured to enable remote control of aspects of the vehicle fromremote facility 88 and/or by a user. For example, aspects of the cargoarea door controls may be selected remotely by users or computingsystems via the communication interfaces 16 and communications network101.

The vehicle 11 may be configured so that the various controllers,sensors and other elements of the system can communicate with each otherusing a controller area network (CAN) bus 33 (FIG. 1) or the like. Viathe CAN bus and/or other wired or wireless mechanisms, the processor(s)110 may transmit messages to various devices in the vehicle and/orreceive messages from the various devices, e.g., modules, actuators,sensors, etc. Alternatively, any of the elements and/or systemsdescribed herein may be directly connected to each other without the useof a bus. Also, connections between the elements and/or systemsdescribed herein may be through another physical medium (such as wiredconnections), or the connections may be wireless connections.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a remote facility 88 may be in operativecommunication with vehicle 11 via a communications network 101. Remotefacility 88 may be configured to perform any of a variety of functions,such as remote control of the various aspects of vehicle operation,including selection of cargo area door control responses and conditionsas described herein. For example, in one or more arrangements, remotefacility 88 may include a computing system (not shown) configured tocontrol autonomous operation of vehicle 11 as a “mobility as a service”(MaaS) vehicle, to pick up and transport passengers to selecteddestination(s).

The processor(s) 110, the sensor system 28, the navigation system 23and/or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be operatively connectedto communicate with the various vehicle systems 40 and/or individualcomponents thereof. For example, returning to FIG. 1, the processor(s)110, the sensor system 28 and/or the autonomous driving module(s) 160can be in communication to send and/or receive information from thevarious vehicle systems 40 to control the movement, speed, maneuvering,heading, direction, and any other operations of the vehicle 11 needed tocause the vehicle to autonomously drive from a starting location to aselected destination. As used herein, “cause” or “causing” means tomake, force, compel, direct, command, instruct, and/or enable an eventor action to occur or at least be in a state where such event or actionmay occur, either in a direct or indirect manner. The processor(s) 110and/or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 may control some or all ofthese vehicle systems 40 and, thus, may be partially or fullyautonomous.

The processor(s) 110, the sensor system 28, the navigation system 23,and/or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 may be operable to controlthe navigation and/or maneuvering of the vehicle 11 by controlling oneor more of the vehicle systems 40 and/or components thereof. Forinstance, when operating in an autonomous mode, the processor(s) 110,the sensor system 28 and/or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 cancontrol the direction and/or speed of the vehicle 11. The processor(s)110, the sensor system 28, and/or the autonomous driving module(s) 160can cause the vehicle 11 to accelerate (e.g., by increasing the supplyof fuel provided to the engine), decelerate (e.g., by decreasing thesupply of fuel to the engine and/or by applying brakes) and/or changedirection (e.g., by turning the front two wheels).

The autonomous driving module(s) 160 either independently or incombination with the navigation system 23 can be configured to determinetravel path(s), current autonomous driving maneuvers for the vehicle 11,future autonomous driving maneuvers and/or modifications to currentautonomous driving maneuvers based on data acquired by the sensor system28 and/or data from any other suitable source. “Driving maneuver” meansone or more actions that affect the movement of a vehicle. Examples ofdriving maneuvers include: accelerating, decelerating, braking, turning,moving in a lateral direction of the vehicle 11, changing travel lanes,merging into a travel lane, and/or reversing, just to name a fewpossibilities. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configuredcan be configured to implement determined driving maneuvers. Theautonomous driving module(s) 160 can cause, directly or indirectly, suchautonomous driving maneuvers to be implemented. The autonomous drivingmodule(s) 160 can be configured to execute various vehicle functionsand/or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and/orcontrol the vehicle 11 or one or more systems thereof (e.g., one or moreof vehicle systems 40).

The vehicle cargo area doors control physical access to one or moreassociated vehicle cargo areas usable for storing and/or transportingcargo. The cargo area doors and associated control mechanisms may beoperated autonomously (i.e., without human operation or manipulation ofthe doors or associated mechanisms), to unlock, open, close, and/or lockthe doors and as otherwise described herein, responsive to variousconditions or occurrences. In one or more arrangements, and as describedherein, a locking mechanism of a cargo area door may also beautonomously deactivated or disabled so as to unlock the door if thedoor fails to unlock responsive to an “unlock” command. In addition, aclosing mechanism of a cargo area door may be deactivated or disabled soas to enable the door to be opened manually if the door fails to openresponsive to an “open” command.

The vehicle cargo area door control system may include any processors,modules, actuators, and/or other elements of the vehicle 11 describedherein, which are needed to perform any of the autonomous cargo areadoor control functions described herein. Autonomous operation of thecargo area doors may be implemented by generation of one or more controlcommands directed to performing one or more of the cargo area dooroperations described herein (for example, unlocking, opening, closing,locking, disabling a door locking mechanism, disabling a door closingmechanism, diagnostics, etc.). The processor(s) 110, the sensor system28, the navigation system 23, and/or the cargo area door control module71 can be operatively connected to communicate with the various ones ofactuators 150 and any other elements needed for controlling the vehiclecargo area doors as described herein.

Particular autonomous operations of any of the cargo area doorsresponsive to a given condition or occurrence may be selectable by auser. A user may be a human being who selects the cargo area doorcontrol operations to be autonomously implemented, and the conditionsunder which the selected control operations are to be implemented. Theuser may be a current vehicle occupant, such as a vehicle operator orpassenger, who may select the cargo area door control operations andconditions using a vehicle human machine interface (HMI), a cellularphone interface connecting the user with the vehicle 11 (or with aremote vehicle control facility 88 in operative communication with thevehicle 11 via vehicle communication interfaces 16 and a communicationsnetwork 101), or any other suitable communications means. The user mayalternatively be a prospective vehicle occupant located remotely fromthe vehicle 11 and in operative communication with the vehicle 11 usingone of the methods described above. In another arrangement, the cargoarea door control operations to be autonomously implemented, and theconditions under which the selected control operations are to beimplemented, may be determined autonomously (for example, by a vehicleelement such as cargo area door control module 71) or by a remotelylocated computing system or other entity, based on various situational,environmental and/or other factors.

FIGS. 3A-4C are flow diagrams illustrating operations of one embodimentof a cargo area door control system to control the various vehicle cargoarea doors, under various conditions. In the following description, theprocess flow will proceed from a current block to a following block whenthe condition(s) in the current block are met, or according to whetherthe condition stated in the current block is true or false. While thesteps in the flow diagrams of the instant application may be describedas applied to a single cargo area and cargo area door, it will beunderstood that these steps may be performed in relation to multiplecargo areas and/or cargo area doors of the vehicle, either sequentiallyor simultaneously.

In one or more arrangements, prior to a possible need for autonomousoperation of the cargo area door-related systems to operate the cargoarea doors, a user (such as a vehicle operator, an operator in a remotefacility), or a computing system may select one or more cargo areaoperation control settings (designated “TS”) from a menu ofpredetermined settings or values. The selected control setting(s) maydetermine the control commands to be generated and the conditions underwhich the commands will be generated (i.e., the events that will triggergeneration of cargo area control commands). Thus, each of thepredetermined cargo area operation control setting values may beassociated with one or more conditions under which control commands willbe generated. For example, a cargo area operation control setting mayhave a first predetermined value which may be associated with one ormore first conditions. The cargo area operation control setting mayalternatively have a second predetermined value which may be associatedwith one or more second conditions. Sets of conditions associated withdifferent predetermined cargo area operation control setting values mayinclude some conditions which are common to the sets of conditionsand/or conditions which are different between the sets of conditions(i.e., conditions which are present in one set of conditions, but not inanother set of conditions).

The settings in the following description are provided for purposes ofillustration; any of a variety of other settings may be used. In theexample shown, the settings may be selected by a user, operator, orcomputing system according to the following:

-   -   TS=1 (cargo area door control module 71 may unlock any        (selected) cargo area door or all the cargo area door(s) if it        is determined that the vehicle currently resides at a selected        destination);    -   TS=2 (cargo area door control module 71 may unlock and open any        (selected) cargo area door or all the cargo area door(s) if it        is determined that the vehicle currently resides at a selected        destination);    -   TS=3 (a state where no autonomous “unlock” or “unlock and open”        control commands are set or in effect. This cargo area operation        control setting may be actively selected by a user, cargo area        door control module 71, or other authorized entity to deactivate        any currently-active autonomous “unlock” or “unlock and open”        control commands (such as TS=1, 2, 4, 5, or 6). With no such        commands active, the cargo area doors may be operated manually        or otherwise in a conventional manner, or by an operator in a        remote facility. However, implementation of the TS=3 condition        still permits one or more autonomous “close and lock” control        commands (i.e., TS=7 and/or TS=8 or TS=9) to be active).    -   TS=4 (cargo area door control module 71 may unlock and open the        cargo area door for any cargo area in which cargo is detected if        it is determined that the vehicle currently resides at a        selected destination);    -   TS=5 (cargo area door control module 71 may unlock and open the        cargo area door for any cargo area in which cargo is detected if        it is determined that the vehicle currently resides at a        selected destination and a vehicle occupant compartment door has        been opened since arriving at the selected destination);    -   TS=6 (cargo area door control module 71 may unlock and open the        cargo area door for any cargo area in which cargo is detected if        it is determined that the vehicle currently resides at a        selected destination and a vehicle occupant is detected exiting        a vehicle occupant compartment after arriving at the selected        destination); TS=7 (cargo area door control module 71 may close        and lock the cargo area door for any cargo area in which cargo        is detected if the door is open, when an occupant has exited an        occupant compartment of the vehicle after arriving at the        selected destination and the occupant who exited the occupant        compartment has moved to at least a predetermined distance from        the vehicle). This autonomous control command may aid in        protecting cargo that a former vehicle occupant forgot to remove        after her/she exited the vehicle;    -   TS=8 (cargo area door control module 71 may close and lock the        cargo area door for any cargo area in which cargo is detected if        the door is open, when an occupant has exited an occupant        compartment of the vehicle and a predetermined time period has        expired after the occupant exiting the occupant compartment of        the vehicle). This autonomous control command may aid in        protecting cargo that a former vehicle occupant forgot to remove        after her/she exited the vehicle.    -   TS=9 (a state where no autonomous “close and lock” control        commands are selected or set. This cargo area operation control        setting may be actively selected by a user, computing system, or        other authorized entity to deactivate any currently-active        autonomous “close and lock” control commands (such as TS=7        and/or 8). With no such commands active, the cargo area doors        may be operated manually or otherwise in a conventional manner).        However, the TS=9 condition still permits one or more autonomous        “unlock” or “unlock and open” control commands (i.e., TS=1-6) to        be active.    -   TS=10 (the cargo area doors may be operated (i.e., unlocked,        opened, closed, and/or locked) responsive to a direct command        from a remote entity. In the particular example shown herein,        responsive to generation or receipt of an instruction which will        cause the vehicle to start moving, cargo area door control        module 71 may determine if all vehicle cargo area doors are        closed. If at least one cargo area door is not closed, the cargo        area door control module 71 may generate a message to a remote        entity (e.g., a remote user, operator or computing system) that        at least one cargo area door is not closed. The cargo area door        control module 71 may then receive (for example, from the at        least one communications interface 16), responsive to the        message to the remote entity that at least one cargo area door        is not closed, a direct command to close the at least one cargo        area door. The cargo area door control module 71 may then,        responsive to receiving the command to close the at least one        cargo area door, generate command(s) to or more actuators to        close any open cargo area doors. Under this control command        option, the same sequence of steps may then be repeated for        locking the cargo area doors after they have been closed. An        additional control command option (e.g., TS=11) may be provided        to enable unlocking and opening of the cargo area doors in a        similar manner, responsive to a direct command from a remote        entity.

A given vehicle may be configured to implement a single one of the“unlock”, “unlock and open” and/or “close and lock” settings describedabove, or more than one of the settings. For example, a first vehiclemay be configured to enable selection and implementation of only settingTS=1, while a second, different vehicle may be configured to enableselection and implementation of either of settings TS=2 and TS=4. If avehicle is configured to enable selection and implementation of any ofsettings TS=1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, the vehicle may also be configured toenable selection and implementation of setting TS=3, which deactivatesall of the settings TS=1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. Similarly, if a vehicle isconfigured to enable selection and implementation of any of settingsTS=7, 8, and 10, the vehicle may also be configured to enable selectionand implementation of setting TS=9, which deactivates all of thesettings TS=7, 8, and 10.

The cargo area door control module 71 may also be configured to, withoutany user or computing system input or selection, and responsive togeneration of a command to the vehicle which will cause the vehicle tomove, determine if a cargo area door is open. Then, whether or not thereis cargo present in the cargo area associated with the open cargo areadoor, and responsive to a determination that a cargo area door is open,the cargo area door control module 71 may generate one or more controlcommands directed to closing and locking the open cargo area door. Thismay help ensure that an open cargo area door is closed prior to movementof the vehicle, in case a user fails to close the door after positioningcargo in the cargo area or removing cargo from the cargo area.

It may be noted that the cargo area door control module 71 may be set toany of cargo area operation control settings TS=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 incombination with either of cargo area operation control settings TS=7,8, 9, or 10 because settings TS=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 relate to unlocking(or unlocking and opening) of a cargo area door from a closed or closedand locked condition, while cargo area operation control settingsTS=7-10 relate to closing and locking a cargo area door from an opencondition. It may also be noted that the cargo area door control module71 may be set to either, neither, or both of cargo area operationcontrol settings TS=7 and TS=8. Also, the cargo area door control module71 may be set to any of (or none of) control settings TS=1, 2, 4, 5, or6. In addition, selection of unlocking/opening control settings TS=1, 2,3, 4, 5, or 6 may be done by a human user, a computing system, or ahuman user in combination with a computing system, while selection ofclosing/locking control settings TS=7 and/or TS=8, TS=9, or TS=10 may bedone by another one of a human user, a computing system, or a human userin combination with a computing system.

FIGS. 3A-3C in combination show a flow diagram illustrating theautonomous implementation of operations to control the unlocking andopening of a vehicle cargo area door after the vehicle has arrived at aselected destination. The cargo area door may be autonomously operatedto unlock and/or open the cargo area regardless of the presence orabsence of cargo in the cargo area.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, implementation of this aspect of vehiclecontrol may begin (in block 516) when the vehicle stops aftertransporting the occupant and cargo. The vehicle processor(s) 110 and/ornavigation system 23 may then determine (in block 519) if the vehicle iscurrently at a selected destination (for example, by determining if thevehicle currently resides at the selected destination currently storedin a location buffer prior to the trip which just terminated when thevehicle stopped). If the vehicle does not currently reside at theselected destination, control may loop back to block 519 until thevehicle currently resides at the selected destination.

If the vehicle currently resides at the selected destination, the cargoarea door control module 71 may determine (in block 526) if the vehicle11 is stationary. If the vehicle 11 is not stationary, the cargo areadoor control module 71 may continue to test for this condition until thevehicle is stationary. If the vehicle 11 is determined to be stationary,control may then transfer to block 528 (FIG. 3B), where the cargo areadoor control module 71 will start to determine which cargo areaoperation control setting TS is in effect, and then operate the vehicleaccording to the effective cargo area operation control setting TS.

In a particular embodiment, the cargo area door control module 71 may beconfigured to, if the vehicle resides at the selected destination,automatically implement control setting TS=2 to unlock and open anyselected cargo area door(s) or all cargo area doors. In anotherparticular embodiment, the cargo area door control module 71 may beconfigured to, as soon as a destination is selected, automaticallyimplement control setting TS=2 to unlock and open any selected cargoarea door(s) or all cargo area doors.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the cargo area door control module 71 may (inblock 528) determine if the cargo area operation control setting TS isequal to 1. If the cargo area operation control setting is TS=1, theconditions (i.e., arrival of the vehicle at a selected destination) forunlocking the cargo area door have been met. Thus, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may then (in block 621, FIG. 3C) generate a controlcommand to unlock (but not open) the cargo area door. The “unlock door”command may be sent to an actuatable locking mechanism which unlocks thecargo area door, as previously described. The cargo area door controlmodule 71 may then check (in block 623, FIG. 3C) to verify if the cargoarea door has been unlocked responsive to the “unlock door” command. Ifthe cargo area door is unlocked, control may transfer to block 624 wherethe cargo area door control module 71 may control operation of thevehicle to prevent the vehicle from moving. Control may then pass to 605(FIG. 3C) in which a message may be generated directed to informing avehicle occupant that the cargo area door is unlocked and may now beopened manually. Following execution of block 605, control may proceedto block 650 (end).

However, returning to block 623, if the cargo area door is not unlocked,the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 625, FIG. 3C)generate an alert message indicating that the cargo area door is notunlocked. The alert message may be transmitted (via HMI, for example) tovehicle occupants and/or may be sent to a remote site (via communicationinterfaces 16) or other entities as previously described, to informuser(s), remote vehicle control systems and/or other entities that thecargo area door has failed to unlock responsive to an unlock command.

Following generation of the alert message in block 625, the cargo areadoor control module 71 may (in block 627, FIG. 3C) operate a lockingdisablement mechanism to disable the cargo area door locking mechanism,thereby permitting the door to be opened manually. This enables the doorto remain closed until the vehicle occupant is ready to open it, therebyconcealing the cargo as protection from potential theft. The cargo areadoor control module 71 may then (in block 629) initiate running of adiagnostic to attempt to determine why the cargo area door unlockingmechanism did not unlock responsive to the “unlock” command. In one ormore arrangements, blocks 625 and 629 may execute simultaneously.Following running of the diagnostic, the cargo area door control module71 may (in block 631) generate an alert message to the vehicle occupantsregarding why the cargo area door is not unlocked (if the reason hasbeen determined by the diagnostic).

Returning to block 528 (FIG. 3B), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=1, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine(in block 540) if the cargo area operation control setting is TS=2. Ifthe cargo area operation control setting is TS=2, the conditions (i.e.,arrival of the vehicle at a selected destination) for unlocking andopening the cargo area door(s) have been met. Control may then proceedto block 607 (FIG. 3C). The cargo area door control module 71 may then(in block 607) determine (using sensor data, for example.) if it iscurrently raining or snowing onto the vehicle. If it is determined to beraining or snowing on the vehicle, the cargo area door control module 71may execute the series of commands in blocks 621-631 as previouslydescribed, to unlock (but not open) the cargo area door. This leaves thedoor to be opened manually when the occupant is ready, therebyprotecting the cargo from the elements.

Returning to block 607, if it is not raining or snowing on the vehicle,the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 609) generate one ormore commands to unlock and open the cargo area door. The cargo areadoor control module 71 may then (in block 611) check to verify that thecargo area door is actually open. If the cargo area door is open,control may transfer to block 612 where the cargo area door controlmodule 71 may control operation of the vehicle to prevent the vehiclefrom moving. Control may then transfer to block 650 (end). However, ifthe cargo area door is not open, the cargo area door control module 71may (in block 613) generate an alert message as previously describedindicating that the cargo area door is not open. The cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may then (in block 615) operate locking and/or closingdisablement mechanism(s) to disable the cargo area door locking and/orclosing mechanisms, thereby permitting the door to be opened manually.

The cargo area door control module 71 may then (in block 617) initiaterunning of a diagnostic to attempt to determine why the cargo area doorunlocking mechanism did not unlock the cargo area door responsive to the“unlock” command (if there was a failure of the door to unlock), and/orto determine why the cargo area door opening mechanism did not open thecargo area door responsive to the “open” command (if there was a failureof the door to open). In one or more arrangements, blocks 613 and 617may execute simultaneously. Following running of the diagnostic, thecargo area door control module 71 may (in block 619) generate one ormore alert messages to the vehicle occupants regarding why the cargoarea door is not unlocked and/or opened (if the reason has beendetermined by the diagnostic).

Returning to block 540 (FIG. 3B), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=2, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine(in block 541) if the cargo area operation control setting is TS=3. Ifthe cargo area operation control setting is TS=3, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 542) deactivate all autonomous “unlock”or “unlock and open” control commands (TS=1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6). Thus,any previously-selected or currently-active autonomous “unlock” or“unlock and open” control commands (i.e., associated with settings TS=1,2, 4, 5, or 6) will no longer be executed, and the cargo area doors maybe operated manually or otherwise in a conventional manner until a new“unlock” or “unlock and open” control command setting (i.e., TS=1, 2, 4,5, or 6) is selected. TS=3 may also be a default value for the “unlock”or “unlock and open” control command setting in case of a system rebootor similar occurrence, or if a user or computing system fails to make analternative selection. After such a system reset, active selection of anautonomous cargo area operation control setting may be required.Following execution of block 542, control may proceed to block 603 (FIG.3C), to generate a message directed to informing a vehicle occupant orother entity (for example, a remote entity) that the door may beunlocked manually. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (inblock 605, FIG. 3C) generate a message directed to informing a vehicleoccupant or other entity (for example, an operator or a computing systemat a remote facility) that the cargo area doors may be opened manually.

Returning to block 541 (FIG. 3B), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=3, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine(in block 544) if cargo has been detected in any of the vehicle cargoareas. If no cargo is detected in any of the vehicle cargo areas then,under any of the control settings TS=4, 5, or 6, the cargo area doorwill not need to be opened. In this case, control may proceed to block650 (FIG. 3C, “End”). However, if cargo is detected in any of thevehicle cargo areas, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block546, FIG. 3B) generate an alert message that cargo is present in avehicle cargo area. The alert message may indicate the cargo area(s) inwhich cargo has been detected. Control may then proceed to block 560(FIG. 3B).

The cargo area door control module 71 may determine (in block 560) ifthe cargo area operation control setting is TS=4. If the cargo areaoperation control setting is TS=4, the conditions (i.e., the presence ofcargo in the cargo area and arrival of the vehicle at a selecteddestination) for unlocking and opening the cargo area door(s) have beenmet. Control may then proceed to block 607, where the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 will attempt to unlock and open cargo area door(s) aspreviously described for area(s) where cargo has been detected.

Returning to block 560 (FIG. 3B), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=4, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine(in block 562) if the cargo area operation control setting is TS=5. Ifthe cargo area operation control setting is TS=5, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may wait until the opening of a vehicle occupantcompartment door (to permit the exit of an occupant) is detected, afterarrival at the selected destination. When (in block 564) it has beendetermined that a vehicle occupant compartment door has been opened, theconditions for unlocking and opening of the cargo area door(s) underTS=5 will have occurred (i.e., the presence of cargo in a cargo area,arrival of the vehicle at a selected destination, and the opening of avehicle occupant compartment door). Control may then transfer to block607 (FIG. 3C) previously described, from which control proceeds based onwhether or not it is currently snowing or raining on the vehicle.

Returning to block 562 (FIG. 3B), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=5, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine(in block 566) if the cargo area operation control setting is TS=6. Ifthe cargo area operation control setting is TS=6, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 568) wait until an occupant is detectedexiting the vehicle. When it is determined that an occupant has exitedthe vehicle, the conditions for unlocking and opening of the cargo areadoor(s) under TS=6 will have occurred (i.e., the presence of cargo in acargo area, arrival of the vehicle at a selected destination, and thedetection of a vehicle occupant exiting the vehicle). Control may thentransfer to block 607 previously described, from which control proceedsbased on whether or not it is currently snowing or raining on thevehicle.

However, if the cargo area operation control setting is not TS=1, 2, 3,4, 5, or 6, the cargo area door control module 71 may assume that nocontrol setting was selected (or is in effect) for automatically openingthe cargo area door after arrival at a selected destination. The cargoarea door control module 71 may then (in block 603, FIG. 3C) generate amessage directed to informing a vehicle occupant that the door may beunlocked manually. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (inblock 605, FIG. 3C) generate a message directed to informing a vehicleoccupant that the door may be opened manually.

FIGS. 4A-4C in combination show a flow diagram illustrating theautonomous implementation of operations to aid in preventing a vehicleoccupant from forgetting or leaving cargo in a vehicle cargo area afterthe occupant has exited the vehicle. The blocks or steps shown in FIGS.4A-4C may occur after the blocks or steps just described with regard toFIGS. 3A-3C.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, the cargo area door control module 71 maydetermine (in block 703) if the vehicle is currently stopped at aselected destination. If the vehicle is not currently stopped at aselected destination, control may pass to block 760 (FIG. 4C). If thevehicle is currently stopped at a selected destination, the cargo areadoor control module 71 may determine (in block 705) if a cargo area doorassociated with a cargo area containing cargo has been unlocked orunlocked and opened since arriving at the selected destination. If acargo area door associated with a cargo area containing cargo has notbeen unlocked or unlocked and opened, control may pass to block 760(FIG. 4C).

However, if a cargo area door associated with a cargo area containingcargo has been unlocked or unlocked and opened since arriving at theselected destination, the cargo area door control module 71 maydetermine (in block 707) if the cargo area operation control setting isTS=7. If the cargo area operation control setting is TS=7, the cargoarea door control module 71 may (in block 709, FIG. 4A) wait until anoccupant is detected exiting the vehicle. When it is determined that anoccupant has exited the vehicle, the cargo area door control module 71may determine (in block 711 (FIG. 4A), using suitable sensors providedin sensor system 28) if the occupant who has exited the vehicle hasmoved to at least a predetermined distance from the vehicle. If theoccupant who has exited the vehicle does not move to at least apredetermined distance from the vehicle, control may continuously loopback to block 711 until the occupant who exited the vehicle has moved toat least a predetermined distance from the vehicle.

If the occupant who has exited the vehicle has moved to at least apredetermined distance from the vehicle, the cargo area door controlmodule 71 may (in block 719, FIG. 4B) determine if there is cargo in anyvehicle cargo area. If there is cargo in any vehicle cargo area, thecargo area door control module 71 may (in block 721, FIG. 4B) generatean audible and/or visible alert directed to informing the person whoexited the vehicle (and/or a vehicle occupant) that there is cargo in acargo area. This may serve as a reminder to a person who has exited thevehicle but forgotten to remove their cargo from the cargo area. Forexample, the alert may comprise flashing taillights or operating thevehicle horn in a predetermined manner. Referring back to block 719, ifthere is no cargo detected in any vehicle cargo area, control mayproceed to block 733 of FIG. 4C (described below).

The cargo area door control module 71 may then (in block 723, FIG. 4B)wait a predetermined time period after initiation of the alert in block721. This may give the occupant an opportunity to extract the cargo fromthe cargo area. After expiration of the predetermined time period, thecargo area door control module 71 may (in block 725, FIG. 4B) determineif the cargo still resides in the cargo area (i.e., the system maydetermine whether or not the cargo was removed from the cargo area afterthe alert). If cargo is still detected in the cargo area, the cargo areadoor control module 71 may (in block 727) set a flag indicating that thevehicle should be driven to a safe location for inspection and holdingof the cargo during a period when the vehicle is not in use. Forexample, the vehicle may drive autonomously to the safe location, or ahuman operator may drive the vehicle (either manually orsemi-autonomously) to the safe location when an opportunity arises.

The cargo area door control module 71 may then (in block 729, FIG. 4B)generate an alert to any mobile device belonging to the former vehicleoccupant or another entity, and/or to any other entities on apredetermined list of entities to be notified if cargo is left in thevehicle by an occupant who has exited the vehicle. The cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may then (in block 731, FIG. 4B) discontinuegeneration of the audible/visible alert.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, if no cargo is detected in the cargo area inblock 725 of FIG. 4B (and also following block 731 of FIG. 4B), thecargo area door control module 71 may (in block 733, FIG. 4C) generateone or more commands to close and lock the cargo area door. Automaticclosing and locking of the cargo area door ensures that the cargo areadoor will not unintentionally open during movement of the vehicle. Thecargo area door control module 71 may then determine (in block 735) ifvehicle cargo area door is closed, responsive to the command to closeand lock the cargo area door. If the cargo area door is not closed, thesystem may (in block 747) generate an alert message as previouslydescribed indicating that the cargo area door is not closed, therebyenabling any vehicle occupants and/or other entities to take appropriateaction (for example, refraining from moving the vehicle and/or takingsteps to close the door). The system may then (in block 749) initiaterunning of a diagnostic to attempt to determine why the cargo area didnot close. Following running of the diagnostic, the system may (in block751) generate an alert message to occupants and/or other entities (suchas a service provider) regarding why the cargo area is not closed (ifthe reason has been determined by the diagnostic). Blocks 747 and 749may be executed simultaneously or sequentially as shown. The cargo areadoor control module 71 may then cycle back to block 735, to determine ifthe cargo area door is still open.

Returning to block 735 (FIG. 4C), if the cargo area door is closed, thecargo area door control module 71 may (in block 737) determine if thecargo area door is locked. If the cargo area door is not locked, thesystem may (in block 741) generate an alert message as previouslydescribed to occupants and/or other entities indicating that the cargoarea door is not locked, thereby enabling any vehicle occupants, formeroccupants, or other entities to take appropriate action (for example,refraining from moving the vehicle and/or taking steps to lock thedoor). The system may then (in block 743) initiate running of adiagnostic to attempt to determine why the cargo area did not lock.Blocks 741 and 743 may be executed simultaneously or sequentially asshown. Following running of the diagnostic, the system may (in block745) generate an alert message to occupants and/or other entitiesregarding why the cargo area is not locked (if the reason has beendetermined by the diagnostic). The cargo area door control module 71 maythen cycle back to block 737, to determine if the cargo area door isstill unlocked. By cycling back to blocks 735 and 737, the cargo areadoor control module 71 will determine when the cargo area door has beenclosed (block 735) and locked (block 737) as previously described. Whenthese conditions have been met, control may pass to block 739.

Returning to block 737 (FIG. 4C), if the cargo area door is closed andlocked, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 739) controloperation of the vehicle to permit the vehicle to start moving.

Returning to block 725 (FIG. 4B), if no cargo is detected in the vehiclecargo area, control may transfer to (and proceed from) block 733 (FIG.4C), as previously described.

Returning to block 719 (FIG. 4B), if no cargo is detected in the vehiclecargo area, control may transfer to (and proceed from) block 733 (FIG.4C), as previously described.

Returning to block 707 (FIG. 4A), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=7, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine(in block 713) if the cargo area operation control setting is TS=8. Ifthe cargo area operation control setting is TS=8, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 715) wait until an occupant is detectedexiting the vehicle. When it is determined that an occupant has exitedthe vehicle, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (inblock 717) if a predetermined time or wait period has expired after theoccupant exiting the vehicle. After expiration of the predetermined timeperiod, control may transfer to (and proceed from) block 719 (FIG. 4B),as previously described.

Returning to block 713 (FIG. 4A), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=8, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine(in block 702) if the cargo area operation control setting is TS=10.Referring to FIG. 6, if the cargo area operation control setting isTS=10, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 910) awaitthe generation of an instruction which will cause the vehicle to startmoving. When such an instruction is generated, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 912) determine if all cargo area doorsare closed. If all cargo area doors are not closed, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 914) control operation of the vehicle toprevent vehicle from moving. At the same time, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 916) generate one or more message(s) toa remote entity (for example, a human operator at a remote facility)that at least one cargo area door not closed.

Following generation of the message in block 916, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 918) await receipt of a command from theremote entity to close any open cargo area door(s). Following receipt ofa command from the remote entity to close any open cargo area door(s),the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 919) generate one ormore commands to actuator(s) to close any associated open cargo areadoor(s). The cargo area door control module 71 may then (in block 920)determine if all cargo area doors are closed. If all cargo area doorsare not closed, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 939)generate one or more alert messages as previously described indicatingthat at least one cargo area door is not closed, thereby enabling anyvehicle occupants or other entities to take appropriate action (forexample, taking steps to close the door(s)). The cargo area door controlmodule 71 may also (in block 940) initiate running of a diagnostic toattempt to determine why one or more cargo area doors are not closed.Following running of the diagnostic, the cargo area door control module71 may (in block 942) generate an alert message regarding why any opencargo area door(s) are not closed (if the reason(s) have been determinedby the diagnostic). Blocks 939 and 940-942 may be executedsimultaneously or sequentially as shown.

Returning to block 912, if it is determined in block 912 that all cargoarea doors are closed, the cargo area door control module 71 may (inblock 922) determine if all cargo area doors are locked. If all cargoarea doors are not locked, the cargo area door control module 71 may (inblock 924) control operation of the vehicle to prevent vehicle frommoving. At the same time, the cargo area door control module 71 may (inblock 926) generate one or more message(s) to a remote entity (forexample, a human operator at a remote facility) that at least one cargoarea door not locked.

Following generation of the message in block 926, the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 928) await receipt of a command from theremote entity to lock any unlocked cargo area door(s). Following receiptof a command from the remote entity to lock any unlocked cargo areadoor(s), the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 929)generate one or more commands to actuator(s) to lock any associatedunlocked cargo area door(s). The cargo area door control module 71 maythen (in block 930) determine if all cargo area doors are locked. If allcargo area doors are locked, the cargo area door control module 71 may(in block 938) control operation of the vehicle to permit the vehicle tomove. However, if all cargo area doors are not locked, the cargo areadoor control module 71 may (in block 931) generate one or more alertmessages as previously described indicating that at least one cargo areadoor is not locked, thereby enabling any vehicle occupants or otherentities to take appropriate action (for example, taking steps to lockthe door(s)). The cargo area door control module 71 may also (in block932) initiate running of a diagnostic to attempt to determine why one ormore cargo area doors are not locked. Following running of thediagnostic, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 934)generate an alert message regarding why any open cargo area door(s) arenot locked (if the reason(s) have been determined by the diagnostic).Blocks 931 and 932-934 may be executed simultaneously or sequentially asshown.

In one or more examples, the cargo area door control module 71 may beconfigured to generate a separate command to the appropriate actuatorsto close and/or lock associated cargo area doors in cases where thecommand or signal received from the remote entity is not suitable fordirect transmission to the actuators for execution (for example, incases where the command must be reformatted or otherwise changed in formin order to be executed by the actuators).

In one or more alternative arrangements, instead of generating suitable“close” and/or “lock” commands to the appropriate actuators responsiveto “close” and/or “lock” commands received from the remote entity, thecargo area door control module 71 may be configured to convey “close”and/or “lock” commands received from the remote entity (via thecommunications interfaces 16) to the appropriate actuators, to close andor lock associated ones of the cargo area doors. In this case, thecommand(s) are simply routed through the cargo area door control module71 to the actuators for cases where, for example, the actuators are notconfigured to receive and/or implement commands sent directly from theremote entity. In this case, the cargo area door control module 71 mayfunction as a “pass-through” device.

Returning to block 702 (FIG. 4A), if the cargo area operation controlsetting is not TS=10, the cargo area door control module 71 maydetermine (in block 714) if the cargo area operation control setting isTS=9. If the cargo area operation control setting is TS=9, the cargoarea door control module 71 may (in block 716) deactivate all autonomous“close and lock” control commands (i.e., TS=7, 8 or 10). Thus, anypreviously selected or currently-active autonomous “close and lock”control commands will no longer be executed, and the cargo area doorsmay be operated manually or otherwise in a conventional manner until anew “close and lock” control command setting (TS=7, 8 or 10) isselected. TS=9 may also be a default value for the “close and lock”control command setting in case of a system reboot or similaroccurrence, or if a user or computing system fails to make analternative selection. After such a system reset, active selection of anautonomous cargo area operation control setting may be required.Following execution of block 716, control may proceed to block 718 togenerate a message directed to informing a vehicle occupant or otherentity (such as an operator or a computing system at a remote facility)that the cargo area door(s) must be closed manually.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram illustrating the autonomous implementationof operations to determine if any vehicle cargo area doors are currentlyeither open or closed and unlocked, and to close and lock any open doorsprior to movement of the vehicle. These actions may be performedresponsive to the generation or receipt of an instruction (such as, forexample, application of pressure to an accelerator pedal of the vehicleby a user, or a command generated remotely (such as at remote facility88) to operate the accelerator pedal to inject fuel into the engine tomove the vehicle) which will cause the stationary vehicle to startmoving. An instruction that may cause the vehicle to start moving mayalso originate from the autonomous driving module 160. Such a scenarioin which movement of the vehicle is initiated may occur, for example,after arrival at a destination and removal of any cargo from a cargoarea, but before the vehicle leaves the current location to proceed toanother destination. Such a scenario may also occur, for example, whenthe vehicle is parked at a parking lot or garage and is about to leavethe parking area. In such a case, it is desired to have the cargo areadoors closed and locked prior to movement. Implementation of theoperations shown in FIG. 5 is directed to ensuring that vehicle cargoareas are closed and locked prior to putting the vehicle in motion. Inaddition, the blocks or steps shown in FIG. 5 may be executed withrespect to any or all of the vehicle cargo area doors. These blocks orsteps may be executed on a single cargo area door that is determined tobe open or unlocked, or on multiple (or all) open or unlocked cargo areadoors simultaneously. In one or more arrangements, the blocks or stepsshown in FIG. 5 may be performed responsive to a selection (for example,from a menu) by a user of a control option configured to autonomouslycontrol operation of the cargo area doors based on the “open” or“closed” status of the doors as described in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 5, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block802) receive command(s) or instruction(s) which may cause the vehicle tomove. The instruction(s) may be relayed to the cargo area door controlmodule 71 as well as to other systems or modules in the vehicle. Anyvehicle module or system capable of generating a command which will (ormay) result in the vehicle moving may be configured to send a copy ofsuch a signal to the cargo area door control module 71. Also, anyinstruction received by any portion of the vehicle and which may resultin movement of the vehicle may be relayed to the cargo area door controlmodule 71. In addition, the cargo area door control module 71 may beconfigured to receive commands originating from outside the vehicle viathe communications interface 16.

After receiving the command which may cause the vehicle to move, thecargo area door control module 71 may then (in block 804, FIG. 5)determine if all of the vehicle cargo area doors are currently closed. Acargo area door may be open, for example, if cargo has recently beenextracted from the associated cargo area after arriving at the currentlocation.

If one or more of the cargo area doors are not closed, the cargo areadoor control module 71 may generate (in block 806) one or more commandsto close any open cargo area doors. The cargo area door control module71 may then determine (in block 808) if the vehicle cargo area doors areclosed, responsive to the command to close the cargo area doors. If allof the cargo area doors are not closed, the cargo area door controlmodule 71 may (in block 810) generate one or more alert messages aspreviously described indicating that all of the cargo area doors are notclosed, thereby enabling any vehicle occupants or other entities to takeappropriate action (for example, taking steps to close the door(s)). Thecargo area door control module 71 may then (in block 812) initiaterunning of a diagnostic to attempt to determine why one or more cargoarea doors are not closed. Following running of the diagnostic, thecargo area door control module 71 may (in block 814) generate an alertmessage regarding why any open cargo area door(s) are not closed (if thereason(s) have been determined by the diagnostic). Blocks 810 and812-814 may be executed simultaneously or sequentially as shown.

Returning to block 804, simultaneously with generating command(s) toclose any open cargo area door(s) if all of the cargo area doors are notclosed, cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 816)autonomously control operation of the vehicle to prevent the vehiclefrom moving until the open cargo area door(s) have been closed andlocked. The cargo area door control module 71 may be configured tointeract with other vehicle elements or modules to prevent execution ofthe “move vehicle” command(s). For example, the cargo area door controlmodule 71 may be configured to control operation of the vehicle so as tointerdict or prevent fuel from being provided to the engine responsiveto pressure on the gas pedal or a command generated by remote facility88. In one or more arrangements, the necessary control may be exercisedby the cargo area door control module 71 generating an interdictionsignal to the control module(s) and/or system(s) controlling elements ofthe vehicle tasked with responding to the instruction which would causethe vehicle to start moving (for example, the throttle or propulsionsystem). Such an interdiction command would operate to prevent aresponse by the other control module(s) and/or system(s) that wouldnormally result in moving the vehicle, until the cargo area door hasbeen closed and locked. The cargo area door control module 71 may also(or alternatively) be configured to actively control operation of thevehicle to prevent the vehicle from moving, for example by generating acommand to braking system 42 to apply the brakes or a command totransmission system 45 to shift the transmission to “park”.

Returning to block 808, if all of the cargo area doors were closedresponsive to the “close door(s)” command(s), the cargo area doorcontrol module 71 may (in block 818) generate a command to lock thecargo area doors. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (inblock 820) determine if all cargo area doors are locked responsive tothe “lock doors” command. If the cargo area doors are not locked, thecargo area door control module 71 may (in block 822) generate one ormore alert messages as previously described indicating that all of thecargo area doors are not locked, thereby enabling any vehicle occupants,former occupants, or other entities to take appropriate action (forexample, taking steps to lock the door(s)). The cargo area door controlmodule 71 may then (in block 824) initiate running of a lockingdiagnostic to attempt to determine why the cargo area door(s) are notlocked. Following running of the diagnostic, the cargo area door controlmodule 71 may (in block 826) generate one or more alert messagesregarding why the cargo area door(s) are not locked (if the reason(s)have been determined by the diagnostic). Blocks 822 and 824-826 may beexecuted simultaneously or sequentially as shown.

Returning to block 820, if it is determined that the cargo area doorsare locked, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 830)autonomously control operation of the vehicle to permit the vehicle tomove responsive to any instructions(s) which may cause the vehicle tomove. This may be achieved, for example, by the cargo area door controlmodule 71 generating one or more signals to other modules and/orelements of the vehicle withdrawing, discontinuing or superseding a“stop vehicle movement” command previously generated by the cargo areadoor control module 71.

Referring back to block 804, if the cargo area doors are determined tobe closed, the cargo area door control module 71 may (in block 828)determine if the cargo area doors are locked. If the cargo area doorsare not locked, control may transfer to blocks 816 and 818 (previouslydescribed), where commands may be generated to lock the cargo area doors(block 818) and to prevent the vehicle from moving (block 816)responsive to any “vehicle movement” command(s). Control may proceedfrom block 818 as previously described.

Returning to block 828, if the cargo area doors are locked, the cargoarea door control module 71 may (in block 830) autonomously controloperation of the vehicle to permit the vehicle to move responsive to anyinstructions(s) which may cause the vehicle to move

In one or more arrangements, a manual override function (not shown) maybe provided to enable a user to override commands preventing the vehiclefrom moving responsive to detection of an open or unlocked cargo areadoor. This function may enable operation of the vehicle in an emergency,for example.

Although autonomous operation of the cargo area doors is describedherein as being responsive to the occurrence of any of severaluser-selectable conditions, it will be understood that the vehiclecomputing and other systems may be configured to permit operation of thecargo area door responsive to user-selectable conditions other thanthose specified herein.

Detailed embodiments are disclosed herein. However, it is to beunderstood that the disclosed embodiments are intended only as examples.Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto variously employ the aspects herein in virtually any appropriatelydetailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are notintended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandabledescription of possible implementations. Various embodiments are shownin FIGS. 1-4C, but the embodiments are not limited to the illustratedstructure or application.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or blockdiagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, whichcomprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in somealternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occurout of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality involved.

The systems, components and/or processes described above can be realizedin hardware or a combination of hardware and software and can berealized in a centralized fashion in one processing system or in adistributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected processing systems. Any kind of processing system oranother apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described hereinis suited. A typical combination of hardware and software can be aprocessing system with computer-usable program code that, when beingloaded and executed, controls the processing system such that it carriesout the methods described herein. The systems, components and/orprocesses also can be embedded in a computer-readable storage, such as acomputer program product or other data programs storage device, readableby a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable bythe machine to perform methods and processes described herein. Theseelements also can be embedded in an application product which comprisesall the features enabling the implementation of the methods describedherein and, which when loaded in a processing system, is able to carryout these methods.

Furthermore, arrangements described herein may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable mediahaving computer-readable program code embodied, e.g., stored, thereon.Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be utilized.The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium ora computer-readable storage medium. The phrase “computer-readablestorage medium” means a non-transitory storage medium. Acomputer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limitedto, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combinationof the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of thecomputer-readable storage medium would include the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), adigital versatile disc (DVD), an optical storage device, a magneticstorage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In thecontext of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be anytangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Generally, modules as used herein include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks orimplement particular data types. In further aspects, a memory generallystores the noted modules. The memory associated with a module may be abuffer or cache embedded within a processor, a RAM, a ROM, a flashmemory, or another suitable electronic storage medium. In still furtheraspects, a module, as envisioned by the present disclosure, isimplemented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), ahardware component of a system on a chip (SoC), as a programmable logicarray (PLA), or as another suitable hardware component that is embeddedwith a defined configuration set (e.g., instructions) for performing thedisclosed functions.

Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations foraspects of the present arrangements may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object-orientedprogramming language such as Java™, Smalltalk, C++ or the like andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

The terms “a” and “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more thanone. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or morethan two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least asecond or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein,are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The phrase “at leastone of . . . and . . . ” as used herein refers to and encompasses anyand all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listeditems. As an example, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” includesA only, B only, C only, or any combination thereof (e.g., AB, AC, BC orABC).

Aspects herein can be embodied in other forms without departing from thespirit or essential attributes thereof. Accordingly, reference should bemade to the following claims, rather than to the foregoingspecification, as indicating the scope hereof.

1. A vehicle cargo area door control system for a vehicle including atleast one cargo area and at least one cargo area door configured to bemovable to enable physical access to the at least one cargo area, andmovable to block physical access to the at least one cargo area, thecontrol system comprising: one or more processors; and a memorycommunicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing a cargoarea door control module including instructions that when executed bythe one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:determine if the vehicle currently resides at a selected destination;responsive to a determination that the vehicle currently resides at theselected destination, operate a cargo area door unlocking mechanism tounlock the at least one cargo area door; determine if there is cargopresent in the at least one cargo area; and responsive to adetermination that there is cargo present in the at least one cargoarea, operate a cargo area door opening mechanism to open the at leastone cargo area door.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The vehicle cargoarea door control system of claim 1 wherein the cargo area door controlmodule further includes instructions that when executed by the one ormore processors cause the one or more processors to: determine if a doorof an occupant compartment of the vehicle is currently open; andresponsive to determinations that there is cargo present in the cargoarea and a door of the vehicle occupant compartment of the vehicle iscurrently open, operate the cargo area door opening mechanism to openthe at least one cargo area door.
 5. The vehicle cargo area door controlsystem of claim 1 wherein the cargo area door control-module furtherincludes instructions that when executed by the one or more processorscause the one or more processors to: determine if a vehicle occupant hasexited the vehicle; and responsive to determinations that there is cargopresent in the cargo area and a vehicle occupant has exited the vehicle,operate the cargo area door opening mechanism to open the at least onecargo area door.
 6. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim1 wherein the cargo area door control module further includesinstructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause theone or more processors to operate a closing mechanism to close the atleast one cargo area door.
 7. The vehicle cargo area door control systemof claim 6 wherein the cargo area door control module further includesinstructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause theone or more processors to: determine if the at least one cargo area dooris open, responsive to a control command to open the at least one cargoarea door; and if the at least one cargo area door is not open, operatea closing disablement mechanism to disable the closing mechanism, theclosing disablement mechanism being configured to, responsive to one ormore control commands, disable the closing mechanism of the at least onecargo area door so that the closing mechanism will not prevent the atleast one cargo area door from being opened.
 8. The vehicle cargo areadoor control system of claim 6 wherein the cargo area door controlmodule further includes instructions that when executed by the one ormore processors cause the one or more processors to operate a lockingmechanism to lock the at least one cargo area door.
 9. The vehicle cargoarea door control system of claim 1 wherein the cargo area door controlmodule further includes instructions that when executed by the one ormore processors cause the one or more processors to: determine if the atleast one cargo area door is unlocked, responsive to one or more controlcommands to a cargo door unlocking mechanism to unlock the at least onecargo area door; and if the at least one cargo area door is notunlocked, operate a locking disablement mechanism to disable a lockingmechanism of the at least one cargo area door so as to unlock the atleast one cargo area door; if the at least one cargo area door is notunlocked, initiate running of a diagnostic to attempt to determine areason why the at least one cargo area door did not unlock responsive tothe one or more control commands; if a reason why the at least one cargoarea door did not unlock responsive to the one or more control commandsis determined by the diagnostic, generate an alert message regarding whythe at least one cargo area door did not unlock responsive to the one ormore control commands.
 10. A vehicle cargo area door control system fora vehicle including at least one cargo area and at least one cargo areadoor configured to be movable to enable physical access to the at leastone cargo area, and movable to block physical access to the at least onecargo area, the control system comprising: one or more processors; and amemory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing acargo area door control module including that when executed by the oneor more processors cause the one or more processors to: determinewhether a vehicle occupant who exited the vehicle has moved to at leasta predetermined distance from the vehicle; determine if the at least onecargo area door is open; determine if there is cargo present in the atleast one cargo area; and responsive to determinations that the vehicleoccupant who exited the vehicle has moved to at least the predetermineddistance from the vehicle, the at least one cargo area door is open, andthat there is cargo present in the cargo area: operate a closingmechanism to close the at least one cargo area door; and operate alocking mechanism to lock the at least one cargo area door.
 11. Avehicle cargo area door control system for a vehicle including at leastone cargo area and at least one cargo area door configured to be movableto enable physical access to the at least one cargo area, and movable toblock physical access to the at least one cargo area, the control systemcomprising: one or more processors; and a memory communicably coupled tothe one or more processors and storing a cargo area door control moduleincluding instructions that when executed by the one or more processorscause the one or more processors to: determine whether a predeterminedtime period has expired after a vehicle occupant exited the vehicle;determine if the at least one cargo area door is open; determine ifthere is cargo present in the at least one cargo area; and responsive todeterminations that the predetermined time period has expired after anoccupant exited the vehicle, that the at least one cargo area door isopen, and that there is cargo present in the at least one cargo area:operate a closing mechanism to close the at least one cargo area door;and operate a locking mechanism to lock the at least one cargo areadoor.
 12. A vehicle cargo area door control system for a vehicleincluding at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area doorconfigured to be movable to enable physical access to the at least onecargo area, and movable to block physical access to the at least onecargo area, the control system comprising: one or more processors; and amemory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing acargo area door control module including instructions that when executedby the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to,responsive to generation of a command to the vehicle which will causethe vehicle to move: determine if the at least one cargo area door isclosed; and responsive to a determination that the at least one cargoarea door is not closed: operate a closing mechanism to close the atleast one cargo area door; and operate a locking mechanism to lock theat least one cargo area door.
 13. A computer-implemented method ofoperating at least one cargo area door of a vehicle, the at least onecargo area door being configured to be movable to enable physical accessto an associated cargo area of the vehicle, and also movable to blockphysical access to the associated cargo area, the vehicle including anunlocking mechanism configured to, responsive to one or more controlcommands, autonomously unlock the at least one cargo area door, themethod comprising steps of: determining if the vehicle currently residesat a selected destination; and responsive to a determination that thevehicle currently resides at the selected destination, operating theunlocking mechanism to unlock the at least one cargo area door;determining if there is cargo present in the at least one cargo area;and responsive to a determination that there is cargo present in the atleast one cargo area, operating a cargo area door opening mechanism toopen the at least one cargo area door.
 14. (canceled)
 15. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the vehicle includes a closing mechanism configured to,responsive to one or more control commands, close the at least one cargoarea door, and wherein the method further comprises the step ofoperating the closing mechanism to close the at least one cargo areadoor.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the vehicle includes a lockingmechanism configured to, responsive to one or more control commands,lock the at least one cargo area door, and wherein the method furthercomprises the step of operating the locking mechanism to lock the atleast one cargo area door.
 17. (canceled)
 18. A vehicle cargo area doorcontrol system for a vehicle including at least one cargo area and atleast one cargo area door configured to be movable to enable physicalaccess to the at least one cargo area, and movable to block physicalaccess to the at least one cargo area, the control system comprising:one or more processors; and a memory communicably coupled to the one ormore processors and storing a cargo area door control module includinginstructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause theone or more processors to: determine if the vehicle currently resides ata selected destination; determine if it is currently raining or snowingonto the vehicle; responsive to determinations that the vehiclecurrently resides at the selected destination and it is currentlyraining or snowing onto the vehicle, operate a cargo area door unlockingmechanism to unlock the at least one cargo area door; responsive todeterminations that the vehicle currently resides at the selecteddestination and it is not raining or snowing on the vehicle: operate thecargo area door unlocking mechanism to unlock the at least one cargoarea door; and operate a cargo area door opening mechanism to open theat least one cargo area door.
 19. The vehicle cargo area door controlsystem of claim 12 further comprising autonomously controlling operationof the vehicle to prevent the vehicle from moving until the at least onecargo area door has been closed and locked.
 20. The vehicle cargo areadoor control system of claim 7 wherein the cargo area door controlmodule further includes instructions that when executed by the one ormore processors cause the one or more processors to, if the at least onecargo area door is not open, initiate running of a diagnostic to attemptto determine why the at least one cargo area door did not openresponsive to the control command; and if a reason why the at least onecargo area door did not open responsive to the control command isdetermined by the diagnostic, generate an alert message regarding whythe at least one cargo area door did not open responsive to the controlcommand.